The invention relates generally to container inspection systems and, particularly, to a vision system for identifying stress-related defects in a molded container.
Container molding machines, referred to in the industry as individual section (IS) machines, are used to form containers, such as glass bottles and jars. Typically, an IS machine has a number of sections, each section having multiple cavities or molds, in which molten glass is formed into the desired container shape. After forming, a conveyor or the like moves the containers through a lehr which anneals the glass by subjecting the containers to stress-relieving temperatures. During the forming and annealing process, defects (e.g., improper annealing, embedded foreign objects, variations in glass density, or other anomalies) may occur which cause stress in the defective container. For this reason, an accurate and reliable inspection system is needed for identifying containers that have stress defects.
Further, many of these defects may be corrected during the manufacturing process to minimize the number of defective containers that are formed. Therefore, such an inspection system which provides feedback to the container molding machine and/or lehr is desired to correct defects in subsequently formed containers.